STEPHEN  K  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886;  PH.D.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 

OF  TME 

UMVERsmr  m  mwrn  campum 

HE  WEEKS  CeJULECTION 

®F 

CMOLINMM 


3L 


3! 


^ 


^ 


5  ^  nita 


Form  No.  A-368,  Rev.  8/95 


MEMORIAI;    ADDRESSES 


ON  THE 


Xife  and  ^t\atacUv 


OF 


Uev.Evander1FNair,d.d. 


DELrS^ERED  AT 


Sakdis  Church,  Cumbekland  County,  ^N".  C, 
May  28,   1886. 


RICHMOND,  VA.  : 

Whittet  &  Shepperson,  iooi  Main  Street. 
1886. 


of 

T 


CONTENTS. 


Minutes,        ..... 
Address  of  Eev.  N.  McKay,  D.  D., 
Address  of  Eev.  D.  D.  McBryde,  . 
Address  of  Rev.  William  S.  Lacy, 
Address  of  N.  W.  Eay,  Esq., 
Address  of  D.  H.  McLean,  Esq.,   . 


5 

7 
28 
34 
42 
50 


MINUTES. 


From  the  Minutes  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fifth  Session  of  the  Presbytery  of  Fayette^tlle.  Held 
at  Llt]mbek  Bridge  Church,  Robeson  County,  N.  C, 
April  7th  to  10th,  1886: 

"The  death  of  Eev.  Eyander  McNair,  D.  D.,  was 
solemnly  announced  by  the  stated  clerk,  who  read  a 
short  biographical  sketch  of  his  life  and  labors,  and  on 
motion  said  paper  was  referred  to  the  following  com- 
mittee, viz.:  Rev.  H.  G.  Hill,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  Joseph 
Evans.     This  committee  reported — 

1st.  That  Presbytery  approve  of  a  memorial  service 
being  had  in  connection  with  Dr.  McNatr's  death,  at 
Sardis  Church,  on  Friday  and  Saturday  before  the  fifth 
Sabbath  of  May,  1886. 

2nd.  That  memorial  services  be  held  by  the  Presby- 
tery  When  Dr.  McKay  read  a  valuable  paper  in 

reference  to  the  life  and  labors  of  Dr.  McNair,  and  ap- 
propriate addresses  were  made  by  other  brethren,  where- 


6  MINUTES. 

upon,  on  motion,  Dr.  McKay  was  requested  to  furmsh 
the  paj^er  read  by  him  to  the  North  Cai^olma  Freshy- 
terian  and  Chistian  Observer  for  pubhcation,  as  soon  as 
practicable  after  the  contemplated  memorial  services  to 
be  held  at  Sardis  Church." 

Saedis  Chukch,  Cumberland  County,  N.  C, 
May  2Sth,  1886. 
The  pastor,  Eev.  D.  D.  McBryde,  presiding.     Ser- 
vices were  introduced  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  David 
Fauiey. 

Addresses  on  the  life,  labors  and  death  of  the  Eev. 

EVANDER  McNaHI,  D.  D. 


A  D  D 11  E  S  S 


OF 


REV.   N.   M^KAY,  D.  D. 


IT  is  a  matter  of  regret,  tliat,  in  the  press  of  pro- 
fessional duties  and  the  multiplicity  of  cares,  I 
have  not  prepared  a  more  elaborate,  comprehensive 
and  complete  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  McNair,  his 
cliaracter  and  work.  What  I  now  present,  however, 
is  not  in  the  spirit  of  a  cold  ceremonial  observance; 
it  is  from  a  heart  deeply  touched  by  the  loss  of  a 
bosom  companion,  leading  me  to  vie  with  brethren 
and  friends  present  in  spreading  laurels  upon  his 
tomb,  in  expressions  of  honor  for  his  memory,  and 
appreciation  of  his  services  to  the  Church  and  to  the 
world.  If  a  stoical  effort  to  suppress  the  natural 
emotions  of  affection  and  gratitude  fails,  or  if  I 
should  seem  to  heighten  one  beautiful  color  of  his 
character,  to  soften  in  the  slightest  degree  the  manly 
instincts  of  liis  nature,  or   in  any  way  exaggerate 


8  Memorial  Addresses. 

any  one  of  the  graces  of  his  symmetrical  Christian 
character,  for  such  weakness  and  defects,  this  assem- 
blage will  find  sufficient  apology  in  tlie  fact  that, 
from  my  boyhood  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Dr.  Mc- 
Nair  was  my  cherished  friend ;  leaving  me  a  price- 
less legacy  in  an  unbroken  correspondence  from  my 
college  days  to  a  few  weeks  before  his  death, — a  cor- 
respondence, opening  with  a  prayer  for  my  success 
and  closing  with  a  benediction  on  my  ministerial  la- 
bors of  forty-five  years  and  more,  in  wliich,  on  one 
occasion,  he  says,  "I  write  twice,  thrice,  and  some- 
times four  tiuies  to  your  once;  but  you  seem  to  take 
pride  and  pleasure  in  drawing  your  old  letters  and 
documents  on  me,  as  a  set-off  to  your  derelictions 
and  short-comings.  I  am  sorry  you  have  them  yet; 
they  will  not  bear  reading  now;"  again  he  writes: 
"  You  admit  you  are  my  debtor  in  all  respects  save 
love.  I  doubt,  if  the  balance  was  nicely  poised, 
whether  you  could  congratulate  yourself  or  feel  so 
complaisant  on  that  point.  I  judge  the  tree  by  its 
fruit,  and  professions  by  acts;  applying  tliese  tests, 
I  submit  the  matter  for  your  judgment.  I  will  not 
quarrel  with  you,  however,  as  our  friendship  has  run 
through  so  many  years  without  interruption.  Let 
there  be  no  strife  now,  for  we  be  brethren,  and  I 


Key.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  9 

yield  you  the  point  for  which  you  contend."     Shortly 
before  his  death  he  writes:  "I  have  done  my  share 
of  visiting  yon ;  it  has  all  been  on  one  side ;  and  while 
I  feel  a  tender  regard  and  cherish  as  kind  feelings 
for  you  as  ever  I  did,  it  is  out  of  my  power  to  visit 
you.     God  bless  you  in  all  your  interests.     May  your 
bow  long  abide  in  strength,  and  when  your  work  is 
done  may  you  receive  the  welcome  plaudit,  '  Well 
done,  faithful  servant^  "     Without  any  disparage- 
ment of  the  living  or  the  dead ;  on  the  contrary,  with 
profound  reverence  for  the  memory  of  the  latter,  and 
unfeio:ned  love  for  the  former,  we  assert  that  the  his- 
tory  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Central  Carolina, 
in  the  Cape  Fear  region,  furnishes  no  instance  in  the 
death  of  her  clergy  to  justify  an  assemblage  like  this, 
and  can  furnish  no  such  instance  in  tlie  future.   Never 
again  will  a  cluster  of  a  dozen  or  more  churches  be 
invited  to  meet,  in  this  section,  to  testify  their  respect 
and  affection  for  the  memory  of  a  preacher  who  has 
ministered  to  them  all,  and  to  many  of  them  at  the 
same  time,  in  holy  things.     We  can  anticipate  no 
such  retrograde  movement  in  the  church  as  would 
place  us  and  our  descendants  where  our  fathers  were 
fifty -five  years  ago.     Our  meeting,  then,  is  without  a 
precedent,  and  cannot  be  such  to  our  church  and  sec- 


10  Memorial  Addresses. 

tion  in  coming  centuries.  We  are  iiere,  not  for  a  sad 
or  funeral  service,  but  to  dwell  with  gratitude  and 
pleasure  upon  the  character  and  services  of  one  whom 
the  aged  have  loved  and  honored  for  more  than  half 
a  century,  and  whose  name  the  young  revere  and 
cherish  as  a  household  word.  Nay,  more,  our  meet- 
ing is  a  verification  of  the  inspired  truth,  that  "  the 
memory  of  the  just  is  blessed,"  and  that  the  "name 
of  the  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance." 

Dr.  Mcl^AiR  was  born  in  Hobeson  County,  N.  C, 
the  7th  of  April,  1811.  He  was  the  son  of  Rod- 
erick and  Mary  McNair.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Argyleshire,  Scotland ;  came  to  this  country  with 
his  father,  John  McNair,  and  a  younger  sister,  in 
1770,  when  only  five  years  of  age.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Mary  McGill,  a  native  of  Hobe- 
son  County.  Their  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren, five  daughters  and  three  sons.  Evander  was 
the  seventh  child,  one  brother  older,  one  younger. 
Dr.  :Neill  McNair,  who  died  in  1863.  All  the  fam- 
ily had  "passed  over  the  river "•  before  him,  except 
John  McKair,  Esq.  His  father  died  in -April, 
1839,  aged  seventy-six.  His  mother  passed  away 
in  April,  1856.     His  ancestors  were  Presbyterians, 


Kev.  Evander  McNaik,  d.  d.  11 

and  he  was  reared  by  godly  parents,  his  father  an 
honored  Ruling  Elder  in  Centre  Church.  Dr.  Mc- 
Nair  was  the  nephew  of  the  Rev.  Malcolm  McNair, 
one  of  the  nine  clerical  members  set  off  by  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas  to  form  the  Pi-esbytery  of 
Eayetteville,  preliminary  to  the  formation  of  the 
Synod  of  Korth  Carolina.  It  is  a  privilege,  nay 
more,  a  pious  duty,  to  keep  fresh  the  memory  of 
these  sleeping  fathers;  and  any  public  demonstra- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  Presbytery  of  Fayetteville 
would  be  sadly  deficient,  that  did  not  bring  promi- 
nently to  the  front  the  names  of  Samuel  Stanford, 
Robert  Tate,  William  L.  Turner,  Malcolm  McNair, 
Murdock  McMillan,  John  Mclntyre,  William  B. 
Maroney,  Allan  McDougald,  and  William  Peacock. 
If  time  and  the  occasion  permitted,  it  would  be 
pleasant  to  dwell  upon  the  character  and  services  of 
the  original  members  of  Presbytery,  especially  of 
McDougald,  my  preacher  and  predecessor;  of  Mc- 
Millan, my  teacher,  and  of  the  venerable  Mclntyre 
and  "Father  Tate,"  both  of  whom  1  knew  so  well, 
and  revered  and  loved  so  much. 

There  is  another  epoch,  however,  in  the  history  of 
Presbyterianism  in  our  section  that  was  of  much  more 
personal  interest  to  Malcolm  McNair  than  any  part 


12  Memorial  Addresses. 

lie  may  have  had  in  the  organization  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Fayetteville.  It  was  the  scene  witnessed  on 
the  27th  of  March,  1801,  at  old  Barbecue  Church, 
when  he,  with  six  other  young  men,  were  licensed 
by  the  mother  Presbytery  of  Orange  to  preach  the 
Gospel.  Eighty -five  years  and  more  liave  elapsed,  and 
we  record  no  similar  event  as  tlie  licensure,  at  one 
time,  of  seven  young  men,  and  such  men  as  Malcolm 
McNair,  Murdock  McMillan,  Murdock  Murphy, 
Duncan  Brown,  John  Matthews,  Hugh  Shaw^  and 
Ezekiel  Currie.  These  all  had  much  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ.  Shaw,  Matthews,  Brown  and  McNair  all 
made  missionary  tours  in  "the  far  West,"  even  to 
the  l^atchez  country,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 
Murphy,  after  a  long,  honored  and  successful  pas- 
torate in  that  grand  old  church,  Midway,  Georgia, 
removed  to  Alabama,  and  7'ests  there.  McMillan, 
under  the  shade  of  the  native  oaks,  preached  the  first 
sermon  tliat  w^as  ever  listened  to  on  the  "  Chickasaw 
Bluff,"  where  now  stands  the  city  of  Memphis,  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  he  removed  to  Ten- 
nessee, and  his  moj'tal  remains  mingle  w^ith  the  dust 
of  the  Bluff,  with  which,  in  the  days  of  his  youth, 
he  was  so  much  enchanted.  Brown  finished  his 
course,  and  closed  a  most  honorable  and  successful 


Rev.  Evander  McNaik,  d.  d.  13 

ministry  in  Middle  Tennessee.  McNair  alone,  of 
the  four  born  and  reared  with  us,  sleeps  at  Laurel 
Hill.  The  Head  of  the  church  dissolved  his  pastoral 
relation  with  Centre,  Ashpole  and  Laurel  Hill 
churches  on  the  4th  of  August,  1822,  in  the  forty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  It  is  pleasant  to  recall  the 
honorable  mention  of  tliese  servants  of  God,  with 
Mclntyre  and  McDougald,  styled  by  Dr.  Hall  in  his 
missionary  report  to  Synod,  "the  young  Scotch 
preacliers."  "  The  fruits  of  their  labors  manifest 
that  they  are  able  and  successful  ministers  of  tlie 
New  Testament."  "And  notwithstanding  the  many 
thousands  of  miles  your  missionary  has  travelled 
during  the  last  ten  years,  he  has  not  been  in  any 
place  where  religion  has  flourished  more,  or  the 
power  of  it  kept  up  with  more  energy,  than  under 
their  ministrations." 

Father  Mclver  (the  Rev.  Colin  Mclver),  McNair's 
biographer,  says  of  him,  "There  was  something  in 
his  mode  of  address  so  sweetly  captivating,  so  irre- 
sistibly alluring,  that  his  preaching  was  always  lis- 
tened to  with  deep  interest."  "  He  might  truly  be 
called  an  eloquent  man.  I  can  truly  say,  that  for 
suavity  of  manners,  generosity,  and  the  kindly  af- 
fections, for  gentleness,  meekness  and   patience,  I 


14  Memorial  Addresses. 

have  seldom  seen  him  equalled,  and  never  excelled." 
If  his  mantle  did  not  fall  directly  upon  his  nephew, 
sure  it  is  that  he  inherited  nmch  of  the  spirit  and 
professional  cast  of  Ins  gifted  uncle.  With  such  a 
model  before  him,  and  home  training,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  in  early  life  his  mind  and  heart  was 
turned  to  the  ministry,  and  his  education  directed 
accordingly.  At  the  house  of  tlie  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Intyre,  7  o'clock  P.  M.,  November  6,  1829,  Messrs. 
Evander  McNair,  John  R.  Mcintosh  and  Hector 
McLean,  were  received  under  the  care  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Fayetteville  as  candidates  for  the  gospel 
ministry.  l!^ovember  6, 1832,  McLean,  McNair  and 
Duncan  A.  Campbell  were  licensed  to  preach,  and 
McNair,  the  succeeding  month,  was  ordained  and 
installed  pastor  of  Bethesda,  Long  Street  and  Cy- 
press churches.  His  professional  life  covered  more 
than  half  a  century,  by  three  years  and  two  months. 
Thirty-one  years  were  spent  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  in  his  native  State.  Twenty-two  years  in 
the  States  of  Texas,  Alabama  and  Arkansas. 

A  sketch  of  the  life  and  labors  of  Dr.  McNair 
would  be  simply  a  narration  of  his  ministerial  work. 
The  pulpit  was  his  throne,  and  when  out  of  it  all 
his  powers  and  resources  were  under  tribute  in  pre- 


Rey.  Evander  Mc^air,  d.  d.  15 

paration  for  it.  His  study  and  reading  were  emi- 
nently sermonic.  While  lie  was  always  fully  abreast 
with  the  work  of  the  Cliurch  in  all  her  aggressive 
movements  and  benevolent  enterprises,  he  never  had 
time  for  close  study  and  general  reading.  'No  one 
could  feel  this  sacrifice  more  keenly  than  himself. 
He  thus  w^rites :  "  Would  that  I  could  hide  in  your 
study,  with  your  valuable  library,  commune  with  the 
sleeping  fathers,  and  gather  strength,  power  and  wis- 
dom from  the  mighty  dead.  But  I  cannot  do  the 
work  Providence  has  set  before  me,  and  gratify  this 
lawful  desire;  yet  I  do  not  complain.  I  love  to 
preach,  and  though  I  have  often  been  weary  in  my 
work,  I  have  never  been  weary  of  it." 

While  it  has  been  truly  stated  that  "  the  whole 
field  of  what  is  now  Fayetteville  Presbytery  knew 
his  labors,  and  several  of  the  churches  of  that  Pres- 
bytery owe  wholly,  or  in  larger  part,  their  organiza- 
tion to  his  zeal  and  energy ;"  yet,  as  he  himself  often 
said,  "the  flower  of  his  days,  the  prime  of  life  and 
his  best  services  were  given  to  central  North  Caro- 
lina." His  field  of  labor  covered  a  lai'ge  scope  of 
country  in  the  counties  of  Cumberland,  Moore  and 
Harnett,  extending  from  the  sources  of  Lower  and 
Upper  Little  Rivers  to  their  confluence  with  the  Cape 


16  Memorial  Addresses. 

Fear,  and  east  of  the  same  to  Black  Kiver.  includ- 
ing Bethesda,  Long  Street,  Cypress,  China  Grove, 
Mount  Pisgah,  Tirza,  Sardis  and  Bluff  cliurclies,  all 
of  which  he  served  statedly,  either  as  pastor  or  sup- 
ply. And  he  was  looked  for  at  the  semi-annual 
communions  of  adjacent  churches,  especially  at  Buf- 
falo, Euphronia  and  Union,  with  almost  as  much 
certainty  as  the  regular  ministers  of  the  same.  Re- 
ferring to  this  field,  he  writes :  "  I  shall  never  again 
be  so  happily  associated  in  my  labors,  riding  from 
point  to  point  with  the  single  aim  and  desire  to  do 
the  Master's  work.  I  remember  the  old  State  and 
land  with  tender  emotions,  and  the  reminiscence  fills 
the  brightest  page  of  my  past  life." 

Here,  in  this  hr o ad  field ^  his  infiuence  still  abides. 
The  recollection  of  him  will  never  fade  from  the 
memory  of  those  who  loved  and  honored  him,  as 
friend,  counselor  and  guide;  and  his  abundant  la- 
bors, faithful,  efiicient  and  successful  ministry,  will 
remain  among  the  most  cherished  traditions  of  these 
churches.  In  the  correspondence  alluded  to,  we  have 
abundant  evidence  that  the  kindly  feelings  of  the 
churches  and  people  were  duly  appreciated  and  more 
than  reciprocated  by  him  whose  memory  we  love  to 
cherish   and  honor.     It  is  matter  of  astonishment 


Eev.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  .    IT 

to  find  how  each  church  of  his  former  charge,  as  well 
as  individual  members  of  the  same,  were  remembered 
in  the  midst  of  his  arduous  and  exacting  labors  in 
the  South  and  Southwest.  Time  and  propriety  per- 
mitting, we  might  give  many  illustrations  of  the  fact. 
Let  one  or  two  suflSce.     "  I  was  glad  to  learn  that 

was  a  member  of  the  Cliurch.     1  hope  he  is 

a  good  man ;  ]ie  was  a  most  exemplary  man  l:)efore 
he  made  a  profession  of  religion.     In  all  probability 

and  will  number  their  days  in  the 

attitude  they  now  occupy."  At  another  time :  "  God 
bless  you  and  the  dear  people  of  my  former  charge. 
O  how  I  would  like  to  be  with  you,  and  once  more 
commune  together  where  we  have  often  met  over  the 
memorials  of  a  Saviour's  dying  love.  God  will  bless 
and  hear  us ;  his  throne  and  mercy  seat  are  near,  where 
spirits  blend,  where  friend  holds  fellowship  with 
friend,  though  sundered  far."  In  Texas,  Alabama 
and  Arkansas,  Dr.  McNair's  labors  were  signally 
blessed.  His  commanding  presence,  physical  and 
moral  courage  and  gentlemanly  bearing,  coupled 
with  his  gifts  and  graces  as  a  preacher,  gave  him  a 
decided  and  conceded  advantage  in  a  new  and  fron- 
tier country.  Few,  even  of  his  brethren  in  the  min- 
istry, have  any  adequate  conception  of  his  exhaustive 


18  Memorial  Addresses. 

labors  and  generous  sacrifices  in  the  Master's  vine- 
yard, in  and  out  of  his  special  field.  I  have  known 
him  to  spend  hundreds  of  dollars  in  a  single  year, 
from  his  private  means,  mainly  in  work  not  con- 
nected wiili  his  immediate  cliarge.  His  unselfish 
devotion  to  the  Master  and  his  cause  cannot  be  too 
highly  commended.  In  that  honest  and  truthful 
period  of  our  existence,  in  the  sliade  of  the  past  and 
on  the  verge  of  the  invisible  and  eternal,  he  could 
thus  write:  "I  can  now  say  honestly,  after  a  review 
of  all  my  labors  in  the  different  fields  I  have  oc- 
cupied, tliat,  however  my  people  may  have  re- 
garded me,  I  have  never  sought  tlie  emoluments  of 
the  world  any  further  than  to  minister  to  my  wants 
and  augment  my  means  of  usefulness." 

His  stay  in  Galveston,  though  short,  was  longer 
than  that  of  the  two  brethren  who  preceded  liim 
combined.  The  congregation  was  greatly  increased, 
the  membership  of  the  church  more  than  doubled, 
and  the  house  of  worship  remodeled  and  so  improved 
as  to  be  the  neatest  looking,  and  the  most  comfort- 
able church  in  the  city.  We  mention  only  one  of  his 
missionary  tours  while  in  Texas,  of  one  month,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  preached  twenty-five  sermons, 
organized  a  new  church,  ordained  oflftcers  and  re- 


Bev.  Evander  McKair,  d.  d.  19 

received    members    into    the    communion   of    the 
church. 

In  less  tlian  two  years  after  taking  charge  of  the 
church  in  Eufaula,  Ala.,  the  membership  more  than 
quadrupled.  We  allude  only  to  one  or  two  of  his 
missionary  tours  in  that  State — one  of  two  wrecks' 
preaching  twice  everyday.  "The  Lord,"  he  writes, 
"  was  pleased  to  crown  our  poor  labors  with  a  rich 
blessing;  forty -live  were  added  to  the  church,  some 
ten  or  fifteen  more  will  join  soon ;  a  few  will  go  to 
the  Methodist  and  Baptist  churches."  Again :  "  I 
have  just  returned  from  a  tour  of  one  week,  preached 
six  times,  passed  through  the  section  of  country 
where  John  Brown,  D.  D.,  (called  Waxhaw.)  lived, 
labored  and  died;  saw  his  grave;  no  stone  points  out 
his  resting  place  to  the  stranger.  Ungrateful  coin- 
'munity^  to  allow  his  memory  to  perish,  but  it  is  em- 
balmed on  high." 

The  war  between  the  States  virtually  terminated 
Dr.  Mc^N'air's  labors  in  Eufaula.  He  held  the  first 
appointment,  under  President  Davis,  of  the  chap- 
laincy to  the  First  Regiment  of  Alabama  Yolunteers, 
the  first  mustered  into  the  Confederate  service. 
Writing  from  Fort  Barrancas,  Florida :  "  I  am  acting 
as  best  I  can  in  the  douljle  capacity  of  chaplain  and 


0  Memorial  Addresses. 

soldier,  the  latter  not  obligatory,  but  I  do  it  for  the 
encouragement  of  our  men."  Later,  his  Presby- 
tery urge  him  to  continue  in  the  army.  Then,  by  a 
public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Eufaula,  he  is  sent 
to  Tennessee  to  look  after  the  sick,  the  wounded  and 
the  slain,  just  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
Thus,  by  the  appointment  of  the  military,  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  authorities.  Dr.  McNair  did  his 
full  duty  in  our  late  struggle;  in  reference  to  which 
he  writes:  "All  the  fatigue,  exposure,  trouble  and 
expense  is  a  small  matter  compared  with  the  issue 
at  stake."  In  Arkansas,  Dr.  McNair  found  a  field 
of  labor  suited  to  his  tastes,  and  demanding  his  best 
efforts.  "  When  1  look  upon  the  broad  field  before 
me  ready  for  the  sickle,  I  am  almost  tempted  to  wish 
myself  young  again,  and  with  my  favorite  black  horse 
']^igger,'  ready  to  enter  for  the  harvest."  After  a 
short  trial,  lie  writes:  ''I  have  just  completed  one 
year  of  hard  and  laborious  service  in  Arkansas,  and 
I  can  honestly  and  truthfully  say,  that  I  have  never 
before  in  my  ministry  witnessed  such  immediate  and 
enconrao:ino;  results."  These  arduous  labors  con- 
tinned  unabated  eleven  more  consecutive  years.  One 
or  two  extracts  from  his  letters  will  give  some  idea 
of  their  extent  and  results.     In  reference  to  a  trip 


Key.  Evandek  McNair,  d.  d.  21 

of  sixty  miles  to  an  adjacent  county,  where  lie 
preached  day  and  night  for  eight  days,  he  writes: 
''I  don't  think  1  ever  witnessed  a  deeper  and  more 
thorough  work  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  Many  were 
converted,  the  whole  community  were  moved  and 
melted.  The  doors  and  windows  were  all  filled  with 
the  anxious  countenances  of  those  who  could  not 
secure  seats."  Again,  '"■!  am  just  home  from  a 
rough  and  rugged  trip  to  a  pleasant  and  harmonious 
meeting  of  Presbytery,  in  the  county  of  Union,  as 
you  know,  the  Saline^  the  Moro,  the  Ouachita  and 
Smackover,  all  difficult  streams  to  cross,  were  in  my 
track,  and  all  swollen  to  high-water  mark.  I  will 
not  trouble  you  with  a  rehearsal  of  difficulties  and 
dangers.  I  swam  and  ferried  alternately.  One  fer- 
riage was  two  miles,  and  one  swimming  one  mile, 
with  occasional  rest  for  my  horse  of  deep-wading 
for  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards  at  a  stretch." 

He  was  often  urged  by  brethren  and  friends  east 
and  west  of  the  Mississippi  to  rest,  as  a  duty  which 
he  owed  to  the  Church  no  less  than  to  himself.  His 
uniform  reply  was,  "  There  is  no  vacation  for  a  man 
in  ordinary  health,  with  such  abundant  work  before 
him." 

When  the  city  of  Pine  Bluff  was  almost  depopu- 


22  Memorial  Addresses. 

lated  by  a  terrible  epidemic,  and  the  flight  of  citi- 
zens from  the  desolation  of  the  same,  in  reply  to 
friends  and  brethren  urging  him  to  seek  rest,  as  the 
storm  had  passed,  and  the  ravages  of  the  plague  had 
been  stayed,  his  reply  was,  "I  will  share  the  fate  of 
the  few  that  remain;  I  have  no  fears  of  sickness, 
and  but  little  fear  of  deatli,  as  it  will  all  come  wisely 
ordered  by  a  Father  who  does  all  things  well,  and  I 
am  persuaded  will  cave  for  we,  while  he  has  work 
for  me  to  do." 

In  the  autumn  of  1882  (October),  Dr.  McNair 
just  escaped  death  by  a  fall  from  the  platform  of  the 
depot  at  Hamlet,  from  tlie  effects  of  which  he  never 
recovered.  Two-and-a-half  months  after  this  sad 
providence,  and  referring  to  the  same,  he  writes: 
"  I  had  just  finished  my  half  century  in  trying  to 
preach,  and  even  now  I  feel  more  anxious  to  labor 
in  the  Master's  cause  than  I  ever  did.  I  must,  how- 
ever, be  satisfied;  if  my  work  is  done,  it  has  been 
poorly,  poorly  done.  Yet  I  have  done  my  best  1" 
Subsequently  he  writes:  "I  will  serve  some  little, 
neglected  congregations  adjacent,  the  balance  of  my 
working  days.  I  know  I  have  but  little  time;  it  is 
my  purpose,  as  God  will  give  me  strength,  to  spend 
it  in  trying  to  do  good."     Finally  he  writes:  ^'I  am 


Rev.  Evander  McKair,  d.  d.  23 

trying  to  serve  three  weak  churches,  and  point  their 
path  to  heaven  and  eternal  life." 

Dr.  McNair  was  one  of  the  manliest  of  men, 
generous,  sincere,  true  and  noble  in  all  his  inter- 
course in  all  the  relations  of  life.  A  pure  patriot 
as  well,  and  an  unchanging  friend.  More,  he  was  a 
genuine  Christian  man,  not  demonstrative.  His  re- 
ligion had  its  root  in  his  own  consciousness  and  in 
his  heart,  and  it  was  regulated  bj  the  sure  word  of 
God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever. 

Dr.  McNair  was  not  an  author ;  he  leaves  no  pro- 
found treatise  on  theology,  or  ethics,  or  philosophy, 
or  Church  history;  in  tliis  respect  his  work  was  sup- 
plemental— deriving  power  and  strength  from  exist- 
ing authorities,  converting  truth  which  had  been 
more  finely  and  elaborately  wrought  to  general  use, 
and  presenting  it  w4th  warmth  and  life  to  the  un- 
derstandings, hearts  and  consciences  of  his  hearers. 
He  did  not  know,  or  care  to  know,  much  about  any 
other  theology  than  that  which  he  found  in  the 
Bible,  and  its  great  fundamental  truths  no  man 
honored  more  in  his  heart,  in  his  life,  and  in  his 
ministry  than  Dr.  McNair.  As  a  preacher,  he  felt 
the  dignity  of  his  profession,  recognized  his  respon- 
sibility as  a  messenger  of  God,  and  wrought   with 


24  Memorial  Addresses. 

all  his  iniglit  to  make  liis  ministry  worthy  of  the 
truth  he  inculcated,  and  worthy  of  the  Master  whom 
he  served.  His  preaching  was  direct,  earnest  and 
awakening,  flowing  from  a  sense  of  responsibility 
and  a  conviction  of  duty  too  deep  to  be  much  con- 
cerned about  the  forms  of  speech.  Those  who  have 
heard  liim  only  at  our  ecclesiastical  convocations; 
e.  g.,  at  Presbytery,  Synod  and  the  General  Assem- 
bly, have  no  adequate  conception  of  the  power  and 
effect  of  his  preaching  at  home,  especially  in  times 
of  religious  interest  and  spiritual  awakening,  or  of 
trial,  sorrow,  sickness  and  death.  His  tender  sym- 
pathy and  fervent  intercession  can  never  be  forgot- 
ten by  those  in  whose  behalf  he  plead  for  mercy, 
relief,  deliverance  and  salvation. 

We  cannot  overestimate  the  loss  of  such  a  man ; 
and  the  results  of  such  a  ministry,  a  ministry  of  three 
and  fifty  years  and  more,  with  no  vacation,  no  respite 
from  labor,  a  ministry  absolutely  unincumbered  by 
any  secular  interest  or  pursuit,  and  in  no  way  con- 
nected with  any  other  profession.  We  cannot  regret 
that  he  leaves  no  monument  to  his  memory  in  the 
fields  of  science,  ])]iilosophy,  history,  or  even  theo- 
logy ;  in  this  he  was  like  his  Master,  who  wrote  no- 
thing, save  it  may  be  on  one  occasion,  a  little  in  the 


Rey.  Evander  McISTair,  d.  d.  25 

sand.  He  believed  that,  under  God,  preaching  was 
to  convert  the  world,  and  tlie  results  of  his  preach- 
ing, like  the  words  of  him  who  spake  as  man  never 
spake,  will  out-last  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 

As  intimated,  this  is  no  funeral  occasion,  and  we 
would  not  recall  the  scenes  and  open  afresh  the  foun- 
tains of  grief  witnessed  on  that  cold  and  inauspi- 
cious January  day,  wlien  all  that  was  mortal  of  our 
friend  and  brother  was  committed  to  mother  earth. 
And  yet,  our  work  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
statement  of  facts  from  most  authentic  sources. 

John  McNair,  Esq.,  the  last  member  of  a  once 
large  and  influential  family,  thus  writes:  "The  cir- 
cumstances attending  my  brother's  death,  I  presume 
you  have  learned  before  this.  He  left  home  on 
Thursday  eve,  to  fill  his  appointment  in  Moore,  was 
taken  sick  on  .leaving  the  cars  Friday  morning;  was 
very  unwell  that  day;  was  some  better  on  Saturday; 
on  Sabbath  rode  five  miles  to  Bethesda,  preached  and 
returned  to  Kevser  in  the  eveninp-.     I  met  him  at 

•/  CD 

Alma  Tuesday  morning ;  the  ride  home  did  not  seem 
to  affect  him.  He  was  cheerful;  sat  and  conversed 
with  us  all  that  day.  On  Wednesday  morning  I 
found  him  quite  ill,  could  not  lie  down,  and  was  very 
feeble.     He  continued  about  the  same  until  Monday 


26  Memoeial  Addresses. 

night,  wlien  lie  seemed  and  expressed  himself  much 
better.  That  night,  after  what  seemed  a  pleasant 
sleep,  he  awoke,  spoke  a  few  words,  and  then,  without 
a  struggle  or  groan,  calmly  and  peacefully  breathed 
his  last,  about  10  o'clock,"  the  11th  of  Januarj^,  1886. 
The  Rev.  Joseph  Evans,  whose  melancholy  privi- 
lege it  was  to  witness  and  take  part  in  the  last  sad 
offices  of  gentlest  respect  and  tenderest  regard  for 
all  that  is  mortal  of  our  sleeping  brother,  sends  the 
sad  tidings  of  the  same  to  the  church  and  to  the 
world  through  the  North  Carolina  Presbyterian-. 
"That  venerable  servant  of  God,  so  extensively 
known  throughout  tlie  Church,  Rev.  Evander  Mc- 
Nair,  D.  D.,  has  gone  for  ever  from  earth.  Though 
evidently  failing  for  some  time,  yet  with  that  stern 
and  unflinching  determination  that  characterized 
him,  he  still  continued  to  press  on  in  the  discliarge 
of  his  ordinary  duties;"  then,  reciting  substantially 
the  facts  given  as  to  his  last  sickness,  he  adds:  "He 
bore  his  sufferings  with  calm  resignation,  and  looked 
unshrinkingly  forward  to  the  solemn  change  that  he 
knew  was  fast  approaching.  His  mortal  remains 
were  interred  in  tlie  cemetery  of  Lebanon  Church, 
which  he  had  served  so  lovingly  and  faithfully.  Not- 
withstanding the  extreme  severity  of  the  weather,  a 


Kev.  Evander  McKair,  d.  d.  2Y 

large  congregation  assembled  to  render  to  him  the 
last  sad  tribute  of  affection  and  respect.  A  career 
such  as  his  needs  no  words  from  iis  to  remind  all  who 
knew  him  how  much  the  Church  has  lost  by  his  being 
Summoned  to  his  rest  and  reward." 

What  a  kind  Providence  to  grant  such  a  conclu- 
sion to  such  a  life  and  to  such  a  ministry :  that  our 
brother  should  have  been  privileged  to  m.eet  the  last 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  he  loved  and  served 
so  long;  to  meet  the  last  Synod  of  his  native  State, 
to  which  he  was  ardently  attached ;  to  meet  his  last 
Presbytery,  for  every  member  of  which  he  cherished 
the  sincerest  regard;  to  meet  his  last  appointment 
and  preaqh  his  last  sermon  where  he  preached  his 
first;  then  return  to  the  bosom  of  his  home  and 
those  most  loved  on  earth,  gather  around  himself 
the  drapery  of  death,  and,  calmly  and  peacefully, 
without  a  struggle  or  a  groan,  fall  asleep  in  Jesus. 


ADDRESS 


OF 


EEV.  I).   D.    M°BRYDE 


THERE  is  an  instinct  in  human  nature,  implanted 
by  the  Author  of  our  being,  which  leads  us  to 
cherish  the  memory  of  those  who,  in  life,  have  been 
entitled  to  our  love  and  admiration. 

"Civilization  has  in  all  times  rendered  conspicu- 
ous obedience"  to  this  law  of  our  nature.  The  great 
cities  of  the  world,  in  ancient  times,  were  eminently 
monumental  cities.  "The  hiohest  achievements  of 
genius,  in  poetry  and  song" — of  art,  in  sculpture 
and  painting,  have  been  exhibited  in  perpetuating 
the  memory  of  those  who  have  been  prominent  ac- 
tors in  the  great  drama  of  the  world. 

The  human  mind  is  so  constituted  that  it  is  not 
only  interested  in,  "but  is  aroused  by  ideals  of  ex- 
cellence." The  military  genius  of  Caesar,  it  is  sup- 
posed, was  quickened  and  aroused  by  beholding  a 
statue  of  Alexander  the  Great.     "Athens  was  a^vast 


Eev.  Evander  McNaiRj  d.  d.  29 

museiun  of  architecture,  sculpture  and  painting," 
dedicated  to  the  national  glory  by  commemorating 
the  deeds  of  her  heroes,  orators  and  statesmen. 
These  characters,  "preserved  in  imperishable  mar- 
ble," gave  inspiration  to  the  Athenian  youth. 

"Christian  civilization  has  not  been  wanting  in 
this  sentiment  of  veneration  for  the  illustrious  dead." 
It  still  lives  to  console  and  elevate  humanity. 

"In  conformity  to  this  usage,  sanctioned  by  tlie 
wisdom  of  ages  of  civilization,  we  have  assembled 
to  pay  the  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory "  of  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Rev. 
Evander  McNair,  D.  D.,  who  died  on  the  11th  day 
of  January  last. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  attempt  a  full  sketch  of 
the  life,  character  and  labors  of  this  eminent  servant 
of  Christ;  that  is  assigned  to  other  hands.  But 
following  him,  as  I  have  done,  in  his  fields  of  labor, 
and  soon  after  his  leaving  them,  it  is  proper  that  I 
should  furnish  on  this  occasion  such  reminiscences 
as  from  time  to  time  have  been  gathered  from  those 
among  whom  Dr.  McNair  spent  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  his  eventful  life.  He  preaciied  in  the  va- 
rious churches  in  this  region,  from  the  time  of  his 
licensure,  in  1S32,  until  1853,  when  he  removed  to 


30  Memoeial  Addresses. 

Texas.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  succeeded  Dr. 
McNair  in  the  charge  of  Long  Street  and  Sardis 
churches  in  1854,  and  of  the  Bluff  church  in  1856. 
Besides  preaching  occasionally  in  all  the  churches  of 
this  section,  he  has  had  ample  opportunities  of  gain- 
ins:  a  knowledge  of  the  character  and  manner  of 
life  of  our  departed  brother. 

It  would  be  a  trite  tribute  to  his  memory  to  say 
that  "his  praise  was  in  all  the  churches."  He  was 
both  highly,  and,  may  we  not  say,  universally  es- 
teemed and  beloved  by  the  large  Presbyterian  popu- 
lation of  Cumberland,  then  including  what  is  now 
Harnett  County.  As  a  man  and  a  Christian  gentle- 
man, he  commanded  the  esteem  and  admiration  of 
all  who  loved  "the  true  and  the  good."  Of  a  com- 
manding personage,  dignified,  but  natural  in  all  his 
bearing,  his  appearance  arrested  the  attention  of  the 
spectator,  and  impressed  him  with  the  conviction 
that  he  was  no  ordinary  man.  There  was  nothing 
little  in  his  nature,  nor  was  there  in  his  life  oi*  con- 
duct. He  felt  that  he  was  a  man;  he  demeaned 
himself  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  as  a  man ;  and 
though  unconscious  of  it,  seemed  everywhere  to 
challenge  the  high  regard  wliich  a  man  who  walked 
uprightly  before  men  was  entitled  to. 


Rey.  Evandek  McNaib,  d.  d.  31 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  '''•facile  py'incepsr  His 
preaching  was  with  unction  and  great  power.  His 
whole  appearance  in  tlie  pulpit  was  striking  and 
singularly  inpressive.  Grave  and  intensely  solemn 
in  all  his  bearing,  he  furnished  a  most  admirable 
model  of  an  ambassador  for  Christ.  The  burden  of 
a  solemn  commission  was  manifestly  upon  him,  as 
he  besought  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  His 
popularity  as  a  pulpit  orator  drew  crowds  wherever 
lie  preached;  and  even  men  of  the  world  and  men 
of  no  religious  pretensions  were  drawn  and  capti- 
vated by  the  mystic  spell  of  his  potent  eloquence. 
It  is  not  invidious  to  say  that  no  man  ever  preached 
in  this  region  who  could  draw  such  crowds  as  Dr. 
McKair. 

There  was  nothing  of  the  theatrical,  or  merely 
sensational  in  his  pulpit  exercises.  But  his  intense 
earnestness,  his  striking  and  impressive  manner,  his 
forceful  presentation  of  the  momentous  subjects  of 
life  and  death,  were  often  overwhelming  and  awful. 
He  was  admired  by  all  classes  of  men.  The  poor 
felt  that  in  him  they  had  a  sympathising  friend, 
and  they  flocked  to  hear  the  Gospel  from  his  lips. 
The    colored  people,   too,   were   great  admirers  of 


32  Memorial  Addresses. 

"Parson  McNair,"  and  multitudes  attended  on  Lis 
ministry. 

In  the  social  circle,  among  the  refined  and  cul- 
tured, he  was  always  a  welcomed  guest.  At  the 
fireside  of  the  lowly  and  the  humble  he  was  equally 
welcomed.  And  in  the  homes  of  sorrow  and  afliic- 
tion,  he  was  as  an  angel  of  mercy,  soothing  the  dis- 
tressed and  strengthening  the  faint.  On  such  occa- 
sions his  approaches  to  a  throne  of  grace  were  most 
touching  and  precious.  He  plead  and  interceded  as 
one  having  communion  with  God.  Tlic  burdened 
soul  that  knelt  with  him  at  the  mercy  seat  often 
arose  realizing  "it  is  good  to  draw  near  to  God." 

The  memory  of  his  name  still  lives  in  all  this  re- 
gion, and  is  still  as  the  "odor  of  sweet  ointment 
poured  forth." 

The  writer  did  not  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Nair's  acquaintance  until  he  had  passed  the  meridian 
of  life;  but  our  intercourse  for  several  years  has 
been  most  pleasant  and  intimate.  As  age  mellowed 
his  Christian  character,  the  true  beauty  of  it  became 
more  conspicuous  and  bright.  His  sun  has  set,  but 
set  to  rise,  we  trust,  in  unfading  glory.  He  sleeps 
in  the  lone  church  yard  of  his  native  place,  but  his 


Rev.  Evander  McKair,  d.  d.  33 

memory,  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  ransomed  mul- 
titudes all  over  this  broad  land,  is  a  monument  more 
precious  than  the  granite  columns  or  the  splendid 
and  costly  mausoleum  erected  to  the  memory  of  the 
great  of  this  world. 


ADDRESS 


BY 


REV.   WILLIAM  S.  LACY. 


AS  the  representative  of  a  church  in  whose  tra- 
ditions and  history  the  name  and  preaching  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  McNair  are  a  precious  memory,  I  am 
glad  of  an  opportunity  of  paying  a  tribute  to  his 
worth,  and  of  saying  these  words  of  reverent  and 
affectionate  remembrance: 

When  I  came  to  Buffalo  Church,  nearly  thirteen 
years  ago,  and  began  to  inquire  into  its  life  and  study 
its  past  records,  it  was  by  man}^  of  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  church  affirmed  that  Dr.  McNair  had 
been  at  some  time  their  minister.  He  had  been, 
indeed,  at  one  time  called  to  be  their  pastor,  but 
having  declined,  the  relation  was  never  constituted. 
But  during  the  pastorates  of  the  Eev.  Angus  McCal- 
lum,  his  class-mate  and  associate  in  the  Seminary,  and 
of  the  Rev.  ISTeill  McKay,  D.  D.,  his  warm  and  life- 


Rev.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  35 

lono;  friend,  Dr.  McNair  assisted  at  the  semi-annual 
communion  seasons,  and  was  expected  as  regularly  as 
tlie  minister  in  charge.  He  was  then  in  the  first 
viojor  of  an  earnest  manhood,  and  must  have  been 
a  splendid  specimen  of  manly  beauty.  His  person, 
his  manner,  his  voice,  his  gesture,  his  eye,  as  well  as 
his  discourses  themselves,  are  remembered  with  a  re- 
spectful admiration.  He  was  the  model — the  stand- 
ard— and  no  praise  was  so  sincere,  or,  in  their  judg- 
ment, so  high  as  to  pronounce  that  the  sermon  of  any 
one  reminded  them  of  Dr.  McNair. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  he  was  in  the  far 
West,  and  when  I  learned  that  he  was  to  retrace  his 
steps  to  his  native  State,  I  was  glad  for  this  reason, 
among  many  others,  that  I  might  meet  with  the  man 
who  had  so  impressed  himself  on  Buffalo  congrega- 
tion and  had  written  his  name  so  indelibly  in  their 
memories  and  aifections. 

And,  if  I  may  be  pardoned  the  further  personal 
references,  for  another  reason  I  was  anxious  to  know 
Dr.  McNair.  He  was  a  true  and  life-long  fj-iend  of 
my  father,  and  my  earliest  recollections  are  of  his 
name.  They  were  members  at  the  same  time  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
before  the  days  of  rapid  transit.     Dr.  McNair  would 


36  Memorial  Addresses. 

come  from  his  churches  in  Cumberland  and  Robeson, 
either  on  horseback  or  in  a  sulky,  and  spending  a  night 
in  Raleigh,  my  father  and  he  would  take  the  journey 
thenceforward  together.  His  genial  companionship, 
fertile  mind  and  independent  spirit  impressed  them- 
selves upon  ni}^  fatlier,  and  through  him  upon  me. 

The  first  time  I  ever  met  the  Rev.  Dr.  MclSTair 
was  at  the  General  Assembly,  in  New  Orleans,  in 
1877,  when  he  visited  the  body,  being  then  resident 
in  Arkansas,  chiefly,  as  he  said,  to  meet  with  his  be- 
loved jS^orth  Carolina  brethren.  Excepting  the  rep- 
resentative from  this  Presbytery,  Mr.  J.  A.  Hodges, 
there  was  no  one  of  his  former  acquaintances  from 
the  Synod.  But  how  quickly  he  placed  himself  in 
sympathy  with  the  representatives  from  North  Caro- 
lina, I  remember  as  one  of  the  pleasant  reminiscences 
of  that  Assembly.  How  cordial,  how  dignified,  how 
courteous,  I  distinctly  recall.  But  it  was  a  time  of 
such  close  engagement,  our  intercourse  was  very 
brief  and  occasional.  His  heart  was  warm  towards 
his  native  State,  his  inquiries  were  kind  and  affec- 
tionate of  old  friends  there,  and  liis  recollections 
were  fresh  and  fragrant. 

The  next  time  I  met  him  was  at  Union  Church, 
shortly  after  his  return  to  North   Carolina,  about 


Rev.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  37 

1879.  It  was  at  a  communion  season — "the  day  of 
the  preparation  " — and  I  went  to  see  him,  to  invite 
him  to  visit  his  warm  friends  at  Buffalo,  and  preach 
again  to  those,  and  to  the  children  of  those,  who  were 
so  devoted  to  him.  After  divine  service  in  the  grove 
I  met  him.  Tall,  comelv,  of  commanding  presence, 
straight  as  an  arrow,  venerable,  I  felt  like  baring  my 
head  in  due  and  profound  respect.  His  greeting  was 
cordial  and  dignified.  I  could  not  forbear  comment- 
ing on  his  stature  and  erectness,  and  the  advantage  it 
gave  in  addressing  a  large  audience,  such  as  he  had 
preached  to  that  day.  His  reply  I  cannot  forget: 
"Such  as  I  am  God  made  me ;  I  am  not  what  I  once 
was;  I  am  not  what  I  hope  to  be  when  this  body  is 
laid  away.  As  long  as  I  am  here,  I  trust  God  has 
some  work  for  me.  I  am  in  his  hands.  Such  as  I 
am,  he  made  me."  The  mingled  dignity,  humility, 
and  aspiration  of  his  words  and  manner  deeply  im- 
pressed me. 

It  was  not  long  after,  in  the  spring  of  1880,  that 
he  visited  us  at  Buffalo  Church,  and  preached  the 
dedication  sermon.  A  large  assembly  greeted  his 
presence,  and  he  was  much  moved.  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed as  I  heard  him,  nor  was  I  surprised  at  the  rapt 
admiration  of  my  people.     The  fervor  of  early  years 


38  Memorial  Addresses. 

was  doubtless  chastened ;  there  were  instead  the 
ripeness  and  mellowness  of  a  long  Christian  experi- 
ence, and  the  shadow  of  advancing  years  softened 
the  impetuous  oratory  that  had  carried  captive  the 
people  of  thirty  years  before;  still,  there  was  a 
majesty  of  utterance,  a  breadth  of  spiritual  thought 
and  a  beauty  of  diction,  and  at  times  an  elevation  and 
fervor  that  revealed  true  power ;  the  whole  so  per- 
meated by  a  devoutness  and  simplicity  that  made  it  a 
delight  to  sit  at  his  feet  and  hear  tlie  gracious  words 
he  spake. 

From  the  first  meeting  our  friendship  was  real  and 
growing.  Inheriting  the  right  to  regard  him  as  a 
friend,  it  was  most  pleasing  to  be  so  regarded  by  him. 
This  is  one  trait  of  his  character  I  would  mention : 
His  unselfishness  and  his  consideration  of  others,  espe- 
cially his  younger  brethren.  Of  a  quick  and  sensi- 
tive nature  himself,  he  appreciated  the  feelings  and 
wishes  of  others.  Always  lofty  in  his  bearing,  there 
was  a  courtesy  that  was  beautiful.  He  reminded 
me  somehow  of  a  nobleman,  some  stately  earl,  or 
venerable  lord  of  the  manor.  In  the  truest  sense 
he  was  a  nobleman.  There  was  no  condescension  in 
his   manner,   but  a  frank    recog-nition   of    riffht,   a 


Eev.  Eyander  McI^^air,  d.  d.  39 

deference  to  the  views  of  others,  and  a  kindly  feel- 
ing of  brotherhood. 

A  second  element  in  his  character,  I  remember,  is 
his  independence  of  spirit.  I  have  sometimes  thought 
this  led  him  too  far,  and  have  almost  been  hurt  that 
he  would  not  allow^  those  attentions  and  little  services 
that  I,  or  any  friends,  would  so  readily  have  rendered. 
At  Synod,  at  Presbytery,  at  any  church  he  visited, 
he  would  decline  assistance,  preferring  to  bear  his 
own  burdens,  than  in  any  way  to  exact  or  even  ex- 
pect service  of  others.  But  the  principle  is  a  noble 
one.  And  he  w^ould  maintain  his  dignity  in  such  a 
way  as  not  to  trespass  in  any  measure  upon  the  feel- 
ings of  others.  It  was  as  manifest  in  his  words,  and 
I  have  often  noticed,  that  though  he  spoke  seldom 
in  our  ecclesiastical  assemblies,  he  had  the  courage  of 
his  convictions,  and  his  w^ords  had  weight. 

Another  noteworthy  characteristic  of  Dr.  McNair 
was  his  lowliness,  his  real  humility  of  spirit.  There 
was  nothing  further  from  him,  more  despicable  to 
him,  than  personal  vanity.  The  Almighty  had  cer- 
tainly highly  favored  him.  His  person  and  carriage 
w^ere  eminently  attractive. and  imposing.  His  gifts 
were  special  and  exalttd.  The  homage  and  praise 
of  the  noblest  and  best  people  were  given  him  with- 


40  Memokial  Addresses. 

out  stint.  He  was  indeed,  as  has  been  well  said,  not 
the  bishop  only,  but  the  idol  of  many  churches.  Yet 
he  esteemed  himself  as  the  least  of  God's  servants. 
In  lowliness  of  mind  he  preferred  others  to  him- 
self. 

I  mention  one  other  trait,  and  that  is,  his  devotion 
to  his  work.     "I  love  to  preach,"  he  said  to  me  over 
and  over.     Truly  he  did  love  to  preach.     His  soul 
was  in  his  sermon.     It  was  the  coinage,  not  of  his 
brain  merely,  but  of  his  heart.     I  never  knew  him 
in  his  earlier  ministry,  and  I  presume  that  his  later 
efforts  lacked  the  ardor  and  overwhelming  earnest- 
ness that  like  a  torrent  bore  everything  before  it. 
But  there  was  a  tenderness,  a  richness,  a  spiritual 
fervor,  that  was  most  effective.     His  last  discourse 
at  Buffalo  Church  was  on  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  Oc- 
tober, when  Synod  was  in  session  at  Beidsville.    On 
my  return  home,  many  spoke  to  me  of  its  beauty  and 
power.     It  dealt  with  the  blessedness  of  heaven  and 
the  reward  of  God's  saints;  and  as  he  himself  ex- 
pressed to  those  people  who  admired  him  so,  they 
likewise  felt  that  it  was  his  last  message  to  them. 
Wlien  I  asked  him  to  preacli  for  me  on  that  occa- 
sion, he  answered,  "  Yes,  I  would  like  to  preach  once 
more  to  those  good  people  before  I  die."     And  un- 


Bev.  Eyanoer  McKair,  d.  d.  41 

der  the  shadow  of  death,  under  which  Jie  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  he  spoke  the  message  of  heaven, 
of  salvation,  of  peace  and  eternal  life,  and  thus 

"Allured  to  brighter  worlds,  and  led  the  way." 

It  is  meet  that  such  a  service  as  this  be  held,  not 
for  the  honor  of  man,  but  for  the  glory  of  God.  He 
gives  to  his  Church  pastors,  bishops,  evangelists. 
These  are  the  precious  ascension  gifts  of  our  Lord. 
In  devout  gratitude  to  him  who  has  given  ns  so  con- 
spicuous an  example  of  ministerial  consecration,  use- 
fulness and  blessing,  we  record  our  recognition  of 
his  valued  services  and  exemplary  life,  the  name  and 
memory  we  recall  and  embalm  this  day. 


ADDRESS 


BY 


N.    W.   RAY,   ESa. 


Mr.  Chairman: 

IHAYE  no  special  autlioritj  to  speak  for  Long 
Street  Church   on   this  occasion ;  but  I  would 

most  heartily  giv^e  mj  own  individual  mite  of  tribute 

to  the  memory  of  Dr.  McNair;  and  I  feel,  too,  that 

in  tlie  absence  of  any  regular  delegation  from  that 

church  and  congregation,  it  would  be  proper  for  me 

to  say  a  few  words  as  for  them,  for  I  feel'  strongly 

identified   with    that    church  and    congregation.     I 

spent  all  my  earlier  years  there;  near  that  church  is 

my  birth-place ;  in  it  I  received  baptism,  at  the  hands 

of  him  for  whom  these  memorial  services  are  held; 

and  in  the  Lono*  Street  Academv,  the  establishment 

of  which  was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the  exertions 

of  Dr.  McNair,  I  received  the  greater  part  of  my  very 

limited  education.     And  in  my  memories  the  name 

of  Dr.  McNair  is  so  associated  witli  Long  Street,  that 


Eev.  Evander  McIN'air,  d.  d.  43 

to  me  these  memorial  services  would  be  incomplete 
without  a  response  from  Long  Street.  And  so  I  ask 
this  convention  of  Dr.  McNair's  old  churches  to  con- 
sider Long  Street  Church  as  heartily  approving  the 
object  of  this  meeting ;  for  I  know  that  if  it  had  been 
practicable  for  them  so  to  do,  that  congregation 
would  gladly  liave  been  here  to  show  their  great  re- 
spect for  the  memory  of  Dr.  McNair — '^  Parson  Mc- 
Nair,"  as  he  was  generally  called. 

It  is  true  that  the  congregation,  since  he  bade  fare- 
well to  them,  now  some  thirty  years  ago,  is  much 
changed.  Some  have  moved  away;  war's  sad  havoc 
has  hidden  many  a  face;  and  time's  natural  decay 
has  brought  many  to  the  grave;  so  that,  if  the  old 
parson  could  stand  in  the  old  pulpit  to-day,  he  would 
see  only  a  few  of  the  faces  that  greeted  him  in  former 
years.  But  his  memory  is  precious  to  them,  and 
precious  to  all  the  congregation ;  for  the  fathers  and 
mothers  have  told  to  the  children  many  a  tale  that  was 
prompted  by  sweet  and  pleasant  recollections  of  the 
times  when  their  preacher  was  Parson  McKair. 

He  ministered  to  that  chui-ch  for  about  twenty 
years,  but  I  cannot  give  the  date  or  statistics  that 
would  be  necessary  in  making  up  a  histoi-y  of  his 
life's  work;  and  I  shall  not  attempt  to  recount  the 


44:  Memorial  Addresses. 

many  virtues  that  adorned  his  life  and  character. 
But  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  church  grew  in  impor- 
tance, the  school  flourished,  and  the  piety  of  the 
church  members  made  itself  felt  in  the  community, 
and  influences  for  good  were  started  there  which,  we 
love  to  believe,  will  go  on  for  ever. 

Among  my  earliest  recollections  is  Parson  Mc- 
Nair,  as  with  stately  gait  and  reverend  manner,  he 
came  into  the  church  and  ascended  the  pulpit.  I 
remember  his  majestic  appearance,  as  with  full,  rich 
voice,  he  poured  forth  his  eloquent  appeals,  his 
earnest  entreaties,  his  solemn  admonitions,  and  his 
tender  words  of  comfort  and  consolation. 

Although  I  was  but  a  small  boy,  I  remember  the 
text  from  which  he  preached  my  father's  funeral — 
''' Therefore  he  ye  also  ready ;  for  hi  such  an  hour  as 
ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  coniethP 

I  remember  him  on  communion  occasions,  when 
the  whole  surrounding  country  would  attend,  and 
ministers  from  the  neighboring  congregations  would 
assist.  Those  were  memorable  occasions,  rich  feasts 
for  the  souls  of  believers,  without  being  frolicsome 
festivals  for  the  unconcerned.  All  were  taught  and 
requested  to  remain  in  the  church  during  the  com- 
munion service,  and  there  was  always  a  kindly  word 


Kev.  Evander  Md^AiR,  d.  d.  45 

to  the  non-communicant,  not  a  rebuke  or  denuncia- 
tion for  rejecting  gospel  privileges,  but  such  cheering, 
comforting  words  to  Israel  as  might  make  unbeliev- 
ing Ilohahs  feel  that  it  would  be  good  to  be  with 
them.  His  teaching  was  often  forcibly  illustrated ; 
and  in  this  connection  I  remember  one  occasion, 
when  in  concluding  his  address  to  the  communicants, 
after  a  three  day's  meeting,  he  referred  them  to  the 
story  of  the  Eastern  king,  who  in  his  parting  admo- 
nitions to  his  son,  who  was  about  to  travel  in  foreign 
lands,  urged  him  to  always  remember  that  he  was  a 
king's  son.  That  was  long  before  I  read  the  story, 
but  the  aptness  of  the  illustration  impressed  me  so 
that  now  I  never  read  it  without  thinking  of  Dr. 
McNair,  and  the  tender  manner  in  which  he  applied 
it  to  the  children  of  the  Ki7\g  of  kings,  as  i\\Qj  were 
about  to  go  down  from  their  Lord's  house  into  an 
evil  world.  And  I  remember  seeing  the  Long  Street 
congregation  in  tears,  when  Parson  McNair,  after 
his  twenty  year's  ministry,  just  before  going  to  his 
newly  chosen  field  of  labor,  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
preaclied  his  farewell  sermon  to  them,  taking  for  his 
text  Paul's  parting  with  the  Ephesians — ^^And  they 
wept  sore,  and  fell  on  PanVs  neck,  and  kissed  lihn. 


46  Memorial  Addresses. 

sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the  icords  which  he  spake, 
that  they  should  see  his  face  no  moreP 

But  the  people  to  whom  he  ministered  in  early 
life  were  permitted  to  see  his  face  again ;  for  after 
the  war  he  came  back  to  spend  his  declining  years  in 
his  native  State  and  county,  and  he  preached  in  Long 
Street  church  again.  What  memories  and  what  re- 
collections were  stirred  up  in  the  hearts  of  preacher 
and  people  as  he  arose  in  that  old  pulpit  again  after 
the  war !  But  I  suppose  it  was  the  same  at  each  and 
all  of  his  old  churches  when  he  visited  them. 

Mr.  Chairman,  there  may  have  been,  and  doubtless 
Avere,  imperfections  in  the  character  and  life  of  Dr. 
McNair;  for,  until  the  final  victory  in  death,  there 
can  be  found  in  all  men  ^^  some  traces  of  sirCs  sad 
story f^  but  I  knew  him,  when,  as  a  child,  I  did  not 
know  that  I  could  find  fault  with  ''Hhe  preacher.'''' 
And  I  am  glad  that  it  was  so,  and  that  now,  in  re- 
membering him,  I  recollect  no  faults. 

The  last  time  that  I  saw  Dr.  McKair  was  some 
months  before  his  death ;  we  were  on  the  same  train ; 
and,  after  travelling  some  miles  with  him,  he  got  off 
to  go  to  his  home.  A  passenger  who  seemed  to  know 
who  he  was,  though  unacquainted  with  him,  looking 
at  him,  said,  admiringly,  "  Holy  man  of  God^    And 


Rev.  Evandee  McKaie,  d.  d.  47 

his  appearance  was  well  calculated  to  call  forth  such 
a  remark.  For,  as  I  ha .  o  already  said,  he  was  stately 
in  appearance,  reverend  in  manner,  and  his  Christian 
spirit  so  shone  in  the  features  of  his  countenance,  so 
venerable,  so  placid,  that  any  one  might  well  sav, 
"There  is  a  man  who  has  that  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  all  understanding." 

All  loved  him  because  he  was  good;  his  goodness 
showed  itself  not  only  in  its  ministrations  as  a 
preacher,  but  as  neighbor,  friend  and  citizen,  he  was 
loyal,  true  and  dutiful ;  his  life  was  a  sermon. 

And  this,  Mr.  Chairman,  is  a  beautiful  custom, 
which  now  so  generally  obtains,  that  when  any  great 
man  has  passed  from  the  arena  of  life,  tribute  is  paid 
to  his  memory,  by  thus  publicly  expressing  our  sor- 
row for  the  loss,  and  our  gratitude  for  the  life  and 
works  of  the  dead.  And  it  should  be  both  pleasant 
and  profitable  to  thus  contemplate  good  deeds  and 
ennobling  virtues.  It  is  pleasant,  because  man,  even 
in  all  his  depravity,  instinctively  loves,  venerates  and 
respects  tliat  which  tends  to  elevate  and  purify.  And 
that  instinct  springs  from,  and  is  an  evidence  of,  a 
germ  of  immortality  that  exists  in  every  human 
being.  For  no  matter  what  men  may  say,  in  order 
to  drown  the  sentiment,  there  is  an  almost  universal 


48  Memorial  Addresses. 

belief,  that  every  one  has  an  innate  germ  of  immor- 
tality, which  bursts  forth  into  new  being  at  death. 
This  very  meeting  gives  evidence  that  man  is  immor- 
tal. We  are  not  here  to  remember  that  which  is 
dead.  Trne,  we  speak  of  our  friend  as  dead;  and 
to  those  of  our  senses  which  are  mortal  he  is  dead. 
But  there  is  within  us  a  sense,  or  feeling,  wliich  is 
gratified  in  the  contemplation  of  his  '^  labors  and 
worths  which  do  follow  him;''''  labors  and  works, 
which  we  love  to  believe  have  started  unending, 
undying  influences  for  good.  And  so,  our  undying 
natures  are  fed  upon  undying  thouglits.  Ajid  it  is 
profitable,  too,  to  take  part  in  these  memorial  meet- 
ings; for  in  the  contemplation  of  great  and  good 
deeds  and  noble  characters,  there  is  a  reflex  influ- 
ence, by  which  we  are  led  to  inquire  how  greatness 
and  goodness  may  be  obtained.  And  if,  with  this 
inquiry,  we  study  the  life  and  character  of  Dr. 
McNair,  we  will  find  that  true,  enduring,  greatness 
and  happiness,  are  to  be  attained,  not  so  much  by 
efforts  to  make  foot-prints  on  the  sands  of  time,  as 
by  a  steady  course  across  the  sands  of  time  towards 
the  Rock  of  Ages,  with  constant  efforts  to  attract 
others  in  that  direction.  Such  was  his  life,  and  who 
can  describe  his  immortality !     Living  in  the  hearts 


Eev.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  49 

and  memories  of  his  people;  living  in  the  souls  of 
those  who  believed  under  his  ministrations ;  living  in 
all  the  good  works  and  influences  which  he  started ; 
living  in  the  churches  that  he  served;  living  in  the 
records  of  the  church-courts  here,  and  in  the  records 
of  the  Church  on  high.  Oh!  can  we  doubt,  that 
his  mortal,  now  sleeping  in  his  native  soil,  will,  when 
time  ends,  put  on  immortality,  that  will  be  glorious. 


ADDRESS 


OF 


D.    H.   M?LEAN,   ESQ. 


Mr.  Chairman: 

OF  that  great  multitude  who  loved  Dr.  McNair 
in  life,  and  mourn  liim  in  death,  there  are 
none  who  loved  him  with  a  deeper  affection,  or 
mourn  him  with  a  deeper  sadness,  than  the  congre- 
gation of  Tirzah  Church,  to  whom  he  ministered  for 
so  long  a  time.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  was 
their  pastor,  counsellor,  friend.  He  was  with  them 
around  their  firesides,  and  at  their  family  altars; 
he  was  with  them  in  the  hours  of  their  joy  and 
gladness;  he  stood  with  them  beneath  the  marriage 
bells,  when  the  future  presented  itself  to  their 
youthful  gaze  like  a  beauteous  landscape  of  rosy 
tints  and  gorgeous  colors;  he  was  with  them  by 
their  beds  of  affliction;  he  stood  with  them  by  the 
open  graves  of  those  they  held  most  dear,  to  com- 
fort  and    encourage — when    the    dark    shadows   of 


Rev.  Evander  McNair,  d.  d.  51 

gloom  surrounded  them,  tlirougli  which  no  single 
star  of  hope  seemed  to  penetrate.  For  these,  Mr. 
Chairman,  they  loved  him ;  and  they  feel  that  they 
are  better  for  having  loved  him,  and  that  the  world 
is  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it.  They  have 
commissioned  me,  Mr.  Chairman,  to  bear  their  offer- 
ins:  of  love  and  honor  to  his  memory.  And  whilst  I 
can  but  regret  that  that  duty  had  not  devolved 
upon  abler,  fitter  hands,  I  can  but  feel  grateful  that 
I  am  permitted  to  join  my  voice  in  that  general  re- 
frain of  praise  which  ascends  from  every  heart  and 
every  lip  in  this  vast  assemblage. 

We  have  not  come  to  indulge  in  fulsome  praise, 
or  extravagant  panegyric  over  the  grave  of  Dr. 
MclSTair;  for  no  meed  of  eulogistic  praise  can  add 
to  that  noble  life  now  ended, — it  is  finished, — the 
record  closed  and  sealed  with  the  clasp  of  death; 
but  we  have  come  to  garland  his  tomb  with  wreaths 
woven  of  the  flowers  of  real  affection  and  honor. 

Mr.  Chairman,  the  observance  of  ceremonies  like 
these  is  not  a  recent  custom;  such  methods  of  ex- 
pressing respect  for  the  memory  of  the  dead  have 
been  observed  in  all  ages,  and  by  all  manner  of  peo- 
ple, from  the  rude  symbolic  ceremonies  of  the 
mound  burials  of  the  savage,  to  tlie  elegant  and  elo- 


52  Memorial  Addresses. 

quent  eulogies  of  the  most  enlightened  people, 
by  which  thej  embahn  the  memorj<.of  their  dead  in 
their  literature  and  song.  The  history  of  all  these 
efforts  of  mankind  teaches  that  there  is  no  earthly 
immortality  for  the  dead,  save  in  the  imperishable 
keeping  of  written  language.  The  pyramids  of 
Egypt,  standing  for  centuries  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Nile,  are  but  the  silent  monuments  of  the  glory  and 
power  of  some  forgotten  king,  whose  name  they 
cannot  call.  All  the  memorials  of  stone  and  brass, 
built  to  perpetuate  the  mighty  men  of  the  past,  have 
perished — the  tombs  of  Abraham,  of  Moses,  Romu- 
lus and  JEneas,  are,  like  the  graves  of  the  humblest 
and  poorest,  forgotten.  The  highest  and  most  endur- 
ing tribute  we  can  pay  to  our  deceased  friend  is  the 
earnest,  fervent  words  of  praise  with  which  we  com- 
mit the  record  of  his  character  and  virtues  to  the  un- 
yielding embrace  of  history.  And,  Mr.  Chairman, 
what  fitter  place  for  the  observance  of  these  ceremo- 
nies than  here — here  in  this  holy  temple  whose 
walls  have  so  often  resounded  witli  the  eloquence  of 
the  clarion  voice  now  hushed  in  the  silence  of  the 
grave. 

"We  call  it  death ;  there  is  no  death — for  to  live 
in  hearts  we  leave  behind  us  is  not  to  die."     Mr, 


Key.  Evander  McI^air,  d.  d.  53 

Chairman,  is  not  influence  immortal? — a  noble  act, 
aye,  a  glorious  life-work,  their  influence  lives  through 
all  time.  It  was  a  beautiful  thought  of  a  renowned 
scientist,  that  every  sound  that  ever  stirred  the  air 
would  go  on  vibrating  to  eternity.  If  that  be  true, 
what  a  mighty  concord  of  sweet  sounds,  which  fell 
from  his  lips  during  the  course  of  his  long  and  use- 
ful life,  is  now  mingling  with  the  music  of  the 
spheres !     He  is  dead  !     He  is  gone ! 

"But  his  memory,  like  some  holy  light 

Kept  alive  in  our  heart?,  will  improve  them  ; 
For  worth  shall  look  fairer,  and  truth  more  bright, 

"When  we  think  how  he  lived  but  to  love  them. 
And  as  fresher  flowers  the  sod  perfume, 

Where  buried  saints  are  lying  ; 
So  our  hearts  shall  borrow  a  svveet'ning  bloom 

From  the  image  he  left  there  in  dying." 

Mr  Chairman,  I  may  not  speak  of  Dr.  McKair's 
career  in  his  chosen  profession — the  holy  ministry. 
I  will  leave  all  that  to  worthier  lips  than  mine. 
But  I  do  remember  him — when  I,  a  mere  boy,  and 
he  in  the  very  zenith  of  his  physical  and  intellectual 
strength  !  I  can  almost  see  him  now — his  tall  com- 
manding flgure  all  erect,  his  face  all  ablaze  with  en- 
thusiasm, his  eyes  liglited  up  by  the  fires  of  genius, 


64  MeMOKIAL  ADDKtiSSES. 

his  long,  sinewy  arms  npstretched,  as  if  he  were 
trying  to  grasp  a  thunderbolt  to  hurl  at  the  enemies 
of  religion,  his  voice  like  a  trumpet  blast  as  he  pro- 
claimed the  terms  of  eternal  life  or  death.  Ah! 
Mr.  Chairman,  he  was  a  xevy  giant  then — a  very 
Agamemnon,  a  king  of  men.  Years  rolled  by  and  I 
saw  him  again.  Those  years  had  brought  many  a 
sad  change  to  him,  and  to  us  alL  Broken  by  age 
and  bodily  infirmities,  he  was  but  a  shadow  of  his 
former  self;  but  the  light  of  his  mighty  intellect  was 
burning  on  with  undiminished  glory.  He  looked 
then  as  if  he  knew  that  that  messenger  whose  com- 
ing no  man  can  stay  was  at  his  door.  But  he  was 
undismayed ;  for  his  tongue  could  utter  that  loftiest 
pean  of  human  triumph  that  was  ever  chanted  upon 
the  shores  of  time: 

"0  death,  where  is  th}^  stiug? 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?" 

Mr.  Chairman,  Dr.  McNair  was  not  only  a  great 
preacher,  but  he  was  a  great  patriot.  With  all  the 
fervor  of  his  great  heart  did  he  love  his  native 
State.  lie  descended  from  an  ancestry  unused  to 
the  yoke  of  tyranny.  In  his  veins  coursed  the 
blood  of  men  who  deemed  liberty  next  to  religion, 
and  men  who  would  have  yielded  life  rather  than 


Bev.  Eyander  McKair,  d.  d.  55 

feither.  Dr.  McKair's  mission  was  one  of  peace 
and  good-will  towards  men ;  yet  when  the  issue  was 
made  of  war  or  dishonor,  his  voice  was  heard  re- 
sounding through  the  land,  bidding  his  countrymen 
to  arms.  Peter  the  hermit  never  preached  the 
Crusades  with  more  eloquence  or  effect  than  did  Dr. 
McNair  preach  resistance  to  Northern  aggression. 
Nor  during  tliose  four  long  years  of  war  and  death 
and  tears  that  followed,  no  stouter  heart  than  his 
was  found  in  the  armies  of  his  beloved  South,  as 
they  stood  like  a  wall  of  devouring  flame  around  the 
"ark  of  the  covenant"  of  Southern  rights.  He 
turned  his  back  upon  all  the  comforts  and  associa- 
tions of  home  life,  and  exchanged  them  for  the 
perils  of  camp  and  field.  He  did  not  exchange  the 
clerical  robes  for  the  tinsel  and  lace  of  the  soldier; 
but  by  his  precepts,  by  example,  his  presence  and 
his  prayers,  he  kept  his  countrymen  to  their  duty. 

Mr.  Chairman,  there  were  scenes  enacted  in  that 
time  tliat  form  a  part  of  tlie  unwritten  history  of 
the  war — scenes  whicli,  if  known,  would  make  many 
a  man  immortal  whose  name  now  sleeps  beneath  the 
waves  of  oblivion. 

What  sublimer  scene  can  the  mind  conceive  than 
o  see  that  holy   man  of  God,  his  head  whitened 


56  Memorial  Addresses. 

with  the  frost  of  age,  the  thundei-  of  battle  hushed, 
the  armies  sleeping  from  the  exhaustion  of  the  car- 
nival of  death;  to  see  that  aged  apostle  of  peace 
groping  his  uncertain  way  among  the  dead  and  dy- 
ing of  his  countrymen ;  to  see  him  bending  over  the 
prostrate  form  of  a  soldier  boy,  upon  whose  youthful 
brow  were  gathering  the  fearful  pallor  of  death, 
that  he  mig]it  receive  from  his  lips  the  last  message 
to  the  loved  ones  at  home,  and  to  whisper  in  return 
the  blessed  promises  of  the  Saviour.  To  see  him 
visiting  the  crowded  hospitals,  reeking  with  the 
stench  of  contagion  and  death,  forgetful  of  self,  that 
lie  might  smooth  some  dying  pillow,  or  point  some 
dying  hero  to  that  light  wliich  even  the  shadows  of 
death  cannot  eclipse.  Such  a  patriot,  such  a  hero, 
was  Dr.  McNair. 

Mr.  Chairman,  tell  me  not  of  the  hero  who, 
amidst  tlie  fire  and  storm  of  battle,  with  his  sword 
dripping  with  human  gore,  can  carve  his  name  upon 
the  roll  of  immortalit}^ ;  'tis  tlie  Christian  hero, 
such  as  Dr.  McXair  was,  that  we  should  emulate. 
No  herald  went  from  the  field  to  tell  the  world  of 
his  deeds;  "thev  did  not  count  in  the  news  of  the 
battle  " ;  he  did  not  seek  the  applause  of  the  world ; 
there  were  none  to   witness  his  heroism  save  the 


Rev.  Evander  McKaie,  d.  d.  57 

silent,  twinkling  stars,  and  the  angels  who,  from  the 
battlements  of  heaven,  smiled  their  approval  npon 
him. 

When  the  flag  of  his  country's  lost  canse  was 
furled,  Avhen  the  star  of  the  young  confederacy 
went  down  to  rise  no  more  forever,  he  came  back 
from  the  battle-field,  not  to  brood  over  the  misfor- 
tunes of  his  country,  not  to  sit  in  the  ashes  of  a 
broken  empire,  but  to  build  up  her  waste  places,  to 
teach  his  countrymen  how  to  manfully  yield  to  the 
verdict  of  defeat.  If  he  loved  his  country  and  his 
people  in  their  strengtli,  he  loved  tliem  more  in  their 
weakness  and  woe. 

How  poor  and  insufficient  are  any  words  that  I  can 
employ  to  fitly  portray  his  character !  Not  all  the 
tongues  or  languages  of  men  can  tell  the  story  of 
the  deeds  of  Christian  charity.  Christian  self-denial, 
devotion  to  God  and  country,  that  characterized  his 
life.  Mr.  Chairman,  as  tlie  lengthening  shadows 
warned  him  of  the  close  of  liis  pilgrimage,  he  came 
back  to  the  people  of  his  boyhood,  came  back  to 
the  State  of  his  nativity,  that  his  own  people  might 
be  by  his  side  at  the  "supreme  moment" — that  his 
ashes  might  'njingle  with  the  dust  of  the  State  he 
loved  so  well.     He  w^as  buried  in  his  own  native 


58  Memorial  Addresses. 

county  of  Eobeson,  where  the  winds  of  each  recur- 
ring spring  call  into  life  and  fragrance  the  flowers  of 
his  own  south-land  to  garland  his  tomb — fit  emblems 
of  the  purity  and  beauty  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Chairman,  his  death  was  a  fitting  close  to 
such  a  life.  When  tlie  messenger  came,  he  received 
him  "as  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
about  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


